PATENT WARS

Apple Blocked in Fight With Google

Cannot pursue injunction, judge says.

One front in the battle over smartphone patents was closed to Apple on Friday, as a federal judge ruled that the company could not pursue an injunction against Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Google. While Apple claimed that Motorola’s smartphone design infringed on iPhone patents, Judge Richard Posner wrote that “Motorola’s desire to sell products that compete with the iPhone is a separate harm—and a perfectly legal one—from any harm caused by patent infringement.” A spokesperson for Apple would not comment on the ruling. The feud between Apple and Motorola began in 2010, when Motorola sued Apple in what many saw as a pre-emptive suit.